One Simple Rule for Choosing Love in a World Full of Hate

Malissa Lakin-Watson in her blog “One Simple Rule for Choosing Love in a World Full of Hate,” admits its not always is and can take concerted effort. But imagine what the world look like if we each made this commitment moment by moment. Malissa’s blog was first published in Elephant Journalon Aug 10, 2017

Looking at the news these days, it would seem that people have lost all sense of civility and how to treat one another.

Discord in families, communities, and the global political landscape in general would suggest that division, hatred of “the other,” terrorism, and fear rule the day. Doing unto others as they do unto us is the “new normal.”

But civility and “loving our neighbor” is much more prevalent than it appears. When we look at day-to-day life, we do often experience small acts of kindness.

For instance: how many times has a perfect stranger opened a door for you or let you in when you were trying to merge onto the freeway? How many times have you done that for somebody? It’s interesting to note how, in the moment, we never stop to think about what political or religious affiliation someone adheres to before we decide to help. In most cases, we practice “The Golden Rule,” without even thinking about it.

The Book of Malachi in the Bible asks this question: ”Have we all not one Father, hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother?“ The second question here is one many may be asking themselves these days. Could it be that some of our divisive thoughts and feelings stem from identifying more rigidly with personalities, political figures, or religious differences than we do with trying to understand that we are all infinitely connected. We’re all at one with the divine source who St. Paul says, “we live and move and have our being?”

This divine source, another term for “God,” means many different things to different people. Some don’t believe God exists. But let’s consider who or what exactly this “one God” is that Malachi and St. Paul are referring to.

Welcome!

I serve as the Christian Science Committee on Publication for New Mexico. The goal is to share a spiritual perspective on health and to engage in conversation while exploring how thought impacts health. Wayne Hicks 505-235-6824 Newmexico@compub.org

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